That makes me wonder if Callahan asking for 7 and not 8 isn't his version of a hometown discount...
- Blueshirts4ever

If Vanek is on the trade market as a rental now, this really stick it to the Cally trade. Unless teams going hard at Vanek take him as plan B.

Absolutely. It appears that everyone at the table is calling Sather's bluff.
- callahank

Hard to bluff when his cards are face up on the table...either way Sather loses. He extends Cally long term and he will hurt the team from a cap/talent standpoint, or he trades him and gets the short end of the deal, or he doesn't deal him, the Rangers don't win the cup and Cally walks.

The only thing that will make Callahan walking for nothing a good thing is if he skates around with the cup on over his head, and in that case he might not even walk, the Rangers may have to give him what he wants....

I wonder if the Rangers will look into and attempt to pursue tampering charges against Buffalo. Anyone reporting Buffalo is willing to meet Callahan's asking price is either making it up or they actually heard it directly or indirectly from a source within the Sabres organization. That report is undermining the Rangers bargaining position. Tampering is tough to prove and there is so much information leaked to the press by all sides that the team may elect to ignore it but I have to believe Slats is seething right now that word has come out about Buffalo.
- gkmkiller

Was Buffalo given permission, if not then that's clear tampering, wonder if anything comes of it?

If Vanek is on the trade market as a rental now, this really stick it to the Cally trade. Unless teams going hard at Vanek take him as plan B.
- DDM-Coga

Different players though, Vanek may end up with a higher AAV because he is a goal scorer.

I wonder if the Rangers will look into and attempt to pursue tampering charges against Buffalo. Anyone reporting Buffalo is willing to meet Callahan's asking price is either making it up or they actually heard it directly or indirectly from a source within the Sabres organization. That report is undermining the Rangers bargaining position. Tampering is tough to prove and there is so much information leaked to the press by all sides that the team may elect to ignore it but I have to believe Slats is seething right now that word has come out about Buffalo.
- gkmkiller

i posted this last night. buffalo is purposely leaking information that they are willing to match what cally is asking for.

Was Buffalo given permission, if not then that's clear tampering, wonder if anything comes of it?
- cranford93

All we know is one team reached out to his agent and nobody knows who that team was...

i think they will accept the best available package, whether that's a young NHL roster player or a prospect a couple years away. any chance they have of a serious late run to the playoffs the rangers probably killed the last 2 games ( )
- rangerdanger94

Yeah but I wonder if they feel the pressure to try to do something to get back in the hunt rather than give up on the season. It's been a long rebuild and the fans have been real patient. That and guys like Tavares; if I was Snow I'd want to do everything I can to show him the organization is dedicated to competing for the playoffs every year. They did that when they first acquired Vanek, sacrificing a first and a second to upgrade from Moulson but do they double down now or try to recoup some of that draft pick capital?

Absolutely. It appears that everyone at the table is calling Sather's bluff.
- callahank

we have no idea what anyone is doing. we don't know what offers sather has, what GMs are willing to pay, what cally really wants, what his minimum offer is, etc.

All we know is one team reached out to his agent and nobody knows who that team was...
- Blueshirts4ever

we know that team WASN'T buffalo.

we know that team WASN'T buffalo.
- rangerdanger94

and they shouldn't reach out to him, why give up any of their young talent. Any team that reaches out to him now is a team that thinks Cally might be the final piece to their SC puzzle...

Different players though, Vanek may end up with a higher AAV because he is a goal scorer.
- Blueshirts4ever

teams looking for a Top 6 winger might be a short list who want to part with a 1st and a top prospect.

But I think its a safer bet to obtain Cally and resign him over Vanek. With all the reports of him wanting to go to Minny seems odd to me, I dont know how they can afford to sign him and need to get a Number 1 goalie again

we have no idea what anyone is doing. we don't know what offers sather has, what GMs are willing to pay, what cally really wants, what his minimum offer is, etc.
- rangerdanger94

You are absolutely correct, we don't know.

and they shouldn't reach out to him, why give up any of their young talent. Any team that reaches out to him now is a team that thinks Cally might be the final piece to their SC puzzle...
- Blueshirts4ever

just saying that it's BS how buffalo is literally negotiating with cally through the media. facking loopholes.

teams looking for a Top 6 winger might be a short list who want to part with a 1st and a top prospect.

But I think its a safer bet to obtain Cally and resign him over Vanek. With all the reports of him wanting to go to Minny seems odd to me, I dont know how they can afford to sign him and need to get a Number 1 goalie again
- DDM-Coga

no doubt

Was Buffalo given permission, if not then that's clear tampering, wonder if anything comes of it?
- cranford93

I don't think they were given permission since reports say they aren't involved in trade talks. Even if they had been, they would only have been given permission to negotiate with the player's reps but not to publicly disclose the nature of those discussions.

I wrote about this possibility on my site and it is so damn easy to "tamper" in today's game. Stephen Bartlett represents something like 40 NHL players, including former Sabre Thomas Vanek. It's quite likely he represents a current member of the Sabres. If that is the case, someone in management could let slip that the organization has discussed pursuing Callahan if he reaches free agency in the summer and imply they are willing to meet his published demands. That player, the fellow Bartlett client, could then relay that info to the agent thus confirming what has already been leaked to the media.

You are absolutely correct, we don't know.
- OLDSCHOOL#6

what we do know is that sather has a very delicate situation on his hands that can either make or break the short-term future of this team. hopefully he doesn't drop the ball.

You are absolutely correct, we don't know.
- OLDSCHOOL#6

smokescreen

You are absolutely correct, we don't know.
- OLDSCHOOL#6

smokescreen

what we do know is that sather has a very delicate situation on his hands that can either make or break the short-term future of this team. hopefully he doesn't drop the ball.
- rangerdanger94

All this talk about teams not wanting to wait until he hits free agency is stupid. Some teams yes but there are plenty of others that are in contention right now and will want to add a guy like Callahan to boost those chances. There will be a solid market for his services even if teams potentially acquiring him know they may not be able to or in a position to re-sign him in the summer.

what we do know is that sather has a very delicate situation on his hands that can either make or break the short-term future of this team. hopefully he doesn't drop the ball.
- rangerdanger94

What I didn't get was what the sense of urgency? Could it really be he wanted it resolved before the Olympics? He had to know that once he declared he would trade Callahan if not signed by Friday that he was going to create a circus environment.

What I didn't get was what the sense of urgency? Could it really be he wanted it resolved before the Olympics? He had to know that once he declared he would trade Callahan if not signed by Friday that he was going to create a circus environment.
- OLDSCHOOL#6

i think he is seriously nervous about cally getting injured, plus it could have something to do with the girardi negotiations. as far as i know, if girardi isn't signed either by the trade deadline, he will be moved too so knocking the cally situation out of the way early let's sather focus solely on girardi afterwards.

i think he is seriously nervous about cally getting injured, plus it could have something to do with the girardi negotiations. as far as i know, if girardi isn't signed either by the trade deadline, he will be moved too so knocking the cally situation out of the way early let's sather focus solely on girardi afterwards.
- rangerdanger94

I don't know if that's the biggest issue (fear of injury)

Sather seems willing to sign Cally to a 5 year 30 million deal before he leaves for the Olympics.

I think he just wants the pressure of a deadline to get it done wither way

What I didn't get was what the sense of urgency? Could it really be he wanted it resolved before the Olympics? He had to know that once he declared he would trade Callahan if not signed by Friday that he was going to create a circus environment.
- OLDSCHOOL#6

I think that anytime a team finds itself in this type of situation they want to resolve it as soon as possible. The problem IMO was that the "deadline" was leaked creating more pressure to find resolution one way or another.

I don't want to make unfounded allegations but I wonder if it's Callahan's camp that is leaking the information. They, along with perhaps the Sabres, have the most to gain by complicating the Rangers position. The Rangers intent was clear; put some pressure on Callahan, convince him their offer is in line with what he could expect on the wide open market and try to get him to re-sign on their terms. Also, they allowed themselves the opportunity to put feelers out there to see what other clubs might be willing to trade for Callahan. But with word of the deadline the pressure transferred to the Rangers side.

i think he is seriously nervous about cally getting injured, plus it could have something to do with the girardi negotiations. as far as i know, if girardi isn't signed either by the trade deadline, he will be moved too so knocking the cally situation out of the way early let's sather focus solely on girardi afterwards.
- rangerdanger94

I guess that must be it. See, I think they have no intention of resigning Callahan, and do have every intention of resigning Girardi and possibly Stralman.

I think that anytime a team finds itself in this type of situation they want to resolve it as soon as possible. The problem IMO was that the "deadline" was leaked creating more pressure to find resolution one way or another.

I don't want to make unfounded allegations but I wonder if it's Callahan's camp that is leaking the information. They, along with perhaps the Sabres, have the most to gain by complicating the Rangers position. The Rangers intent was clear; put some pressure on Callahan, convince him their offer is in line with what he could expect on the wide open market and try to get him to re-sign on their terms. Also, they allowed themselves the opportunity to put feelers out there to see what other clubs might be willing to trade for Callahan. But with word of the deadline the pressure transferred to the Rangers side.
- gkmkiller

I guess, but GM's aren't stupid (well some are), why would they make Sather a viable offer this week, when they can wait and see what develops?